Flameclaw's Destiny
by LightningFoot
Summary: Flamepaw has a very important role, one that will save the clans from danger once again. The Dark Forest has been reborn, and now it is up to Flamepaw to try and stop them, however it would be hard to get all the Clans to work together during the Great Alliance. What is Flamepaw to do now...
1. Cats

Lightclan

Leader- Lionstar

Deputy- Blazespark- Apprentice Flamepaw

Doctor- Roguefeather- Apprentice Solarpaw

**Warriors**

Crowflame

Shadowlight- Apprentice Lightningpaw

Ravenwing- Apprentice Snowpaw

Flarefang

Tigerblitz

Starflight

Darkflame-Apprentice Cloudpaw

**Apprentices**

Flamepaw

Lightningpaw

Solarpaw

Cloudpaw

Snowpaw

Cavepaw

Honeypaw

Shadeclan

Leader- Duskstar

Deputy- Doomspike- Apprentice Azurepaw

Doctor- Nightleaf

**Warriors**

Lunartail

Hellclaw

Skullpelt- Apprentice Leopardpaw

Cometwing- Apprentice Grizzlypaw

Redwater- Apprentice- Howlpaw

Soulfang

Ragefeather- Apprentice Huelesspaw

**Apprentices**

Azurepaw

Leopardpaw

Grizzlypaw

Howlpaw

Huelesspaw

Thermalpaw

Adderpaw

Earthclan

Leader- Mountainstar

Deputy- Tidalflame- Apprentice Magmapaw

Doctor- Goldenlight- Apprentice Brindlepaw

**Warriors**

Lavaclaw

Stonetail- Apprentice Crystalpaw

Radiantpelt

Forestwing

Skyflare

Frostlight- Apprentice Rootpaw

Tridentslash- Apprentice Silverpaw

**Apprentices**

Crystalpaw

Magmapaw

Nutpaw

Brindlepaw

Silverpaw

Peakpaw

Skypaw

Timeclan

Leader- Plasmastar

Deputy- Fusionspark- Apprentice Scalepaw

Doctor- Iceshine- Apprentice Rainpaw

**Warriors**

Scythetail- Apprentice Tornadopaw

Stormpelt

Typhoonclaw- Apprentice Snakepaw

Voidfang

Oblivioneye-Apprentice Balancepaw

Blightstorm

Hailscreech

**Apprentices**

Scalepaw

Balancepaw

Snakepaw

Rainpaw

Tornadopaw

Hurricanepaw

Rabbitpaw


	2. Prologue

Lightclan

Leader- Lionstar

Deputy- Blazespark- Apprentice Flamepaw

Doctor- Roguefeather- Apprentice Solarpaw

**Warriors**

Crowflame

Shadowlight- Apprentice Lightningpaw

Ravenwing- Apprentice Snowpaw

Flarefang

Tigerblitz

Starflight

Darkflame-Apprentice Cloudpaw

**Apprentices**

Flamepaw

Lightningpaw

Solarpaw

Cloudpaw

Snowpaw

Cavepaw

Honeypaw

Shadeclan

Leader- Duskstar

Deputy- Doomspike- Apprentice Azurepaw

Doctor- Nightleaf

**Warriors**

Lunartail

Hellclaw

Skullpelt- Apprentice Leopardpaw

Cometwing- Apprentice Grizzlypaw

Redwater- Apprentice- Howlpaw

Soulfang

Ragefeather- Apprentice Huelesspaw

**Apprentices**

Azurepaw

Leopardpaw

Grizzlypaw

Howlpaw

Huelesspaw

Thermalpaw

Adderpaw

Earthclan

Leader- Mountainstar

Deputy- Tidalflame- Apprentice Magmapaw

Doctor- Goldenlight- Apprentice Brindlepaw

**Warriors**

Lavaclaw

Stonetail- Apprentice Crystalpaw

Radiantpelt

Forestwing

Skyflare

Frostlight- Apprentice Rootpaw

Tridentslash- Apprentice Silverpaw

**Apprentices**

Crystalpaw

Magmapaw

Nutpaw

Brindlepaw

Silverpaw

Peakpaw

Skypaw

Timeclan

Leader- Plasmastar

Deputy- Fusionspark- Apprentice Scalepaw

Doctor- Iceshine- Apprentice Rainpaw

**Warriors**

Scythetail- Apprentice Tornadopaw

Stormpelt

Typhoonclaw- Apprentice Snakepaw

Voidfang

Oblivioneye-Apprentice Balancepaw

Blightstorm

Hailscreech

**Apprentices**

Scalepaw

Balancepaw

Snakepaw

Rainpaw

Tornadopaw

Hurricanepaw

Rabbitpaw


	3. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Flamepaw**

The hunting practice between the apprentices has begun. Flamepaw was stalking a vole. It was quite large in size. _Oh how proud the clan would be of me if I caught that_! he thought. He had to be extremely silent. Paw by paw, he was moving closer. He kept his belly skimming the ground with each movement. He now got into his hunting crouch stance. He leaped for the vole, but swiped to early! The vole noticed and began to sprint away.

"Darn!" Flamepaw cursed.

He began to chase after it. He needed to keep a steady acceleration so that he would be able to make sharp turns. This vole was pretty fast, that's for sure. He had eventually cornered it.

"You're not getting away," he growled.

The vole stared at Flamepaw. This made him confused. _Why is it just staring at me?_ he thought. While he was wondering, the vole made a leap and began to run away. He had let it go again! Flamepaw let out a loud growl and began to chase it once more. This time, he had to be more witty.

Starclan had given Flamepaw a third chance to catch this vole. He made a more elegant leap, surely he would catch it, but in a blink of an eye it had disappeared. Flamepaw had landed on nothing.

"How is this possible?" He asked himself out loud.

He looked to his right and was immediately angry. It was Cloudpaw. She had stole his catch.

"_Cloudpaw_!"Flamepaw let out a warrior's growl.

"Oh! Quite intimidating. My my, this vole is huge! The clan will be amazed at this," Cloudpaw jeered.

"That was _mine_ and you know it!"Flamepaw said.

"Well, it's not like I took it from you physically. I just... caught it really," Cloudpaw replied," You're just gonna have to catch something else I guess."

She snickered and padded away with the vole. Flamepaw was enraged. _Now what will I bring the clan? They will all be impressed that Cloudpaw stole my catch!_ he thought. He began to scrounge around for something else.

The apprentices had returned to the clan. Everybody admired Flame- Cloudpaw's vole. Flamepaw had brought back a lousy pigeon. It wouldn't feed anybody.

"Congratulations Cloudpaw! That vole could feed the entire clan!" Darkflame praised.

Once again, the congratulating began. Flamepaw walked off to his best friend, Lightningpaw.

Lightning looked at him, "Well um...nice pigeon?"

"Ugh! All I brought back was actually the lousiest thing. It will not feed _anybody_. That's my vole," He growled.

Lightningpaw looked at him,"That's not hard to believe. Cloudpaw has always been annoying, but how exactly did she steal it?"

"She caught it before I did, but I was ready and everything! I was hunting it down for _hours_," Flamepaw responded.

"So, you had multiple chances and failed all of them?" Lightningpaw asked.

"I may not of failed the last one! Until Cloudpaw got in the way," Flamepaw ranted.

Lightningpaw put his tail over Flamepaw's mouth,"Quiet! Lionstar is speaking."

The leader hopped up onto the highledge. The highledge was a hill that laid in front of the clan.

"The days of alliance is coming. Earthclan will be fighting by our side!" He declared.

The clan cheered.

"The gathering will begin tomorrow," Lionstar finished.

Flamepaw walked off towards his den. He felt tired from all those hours spent on stalking a vole he didn't even catch. He thought about the alliance. A new alliance meant more warriors, and more warriors meant _he _might become a warrior soon. Now Flamepaw couldn't sleep because of his excitement. He decided to take a stroll in the forest.

Flamepaw was walking in the forest alone. He thought about being a warrior. But he didn't only want that, he wanted to be a leader. No, he wanted to rule the entire forest. While he was walking, he saw something. The figure looked like a cat. On his territory. Flamepaw was already burning up with energy. This was his chance to prove that he was to be leader of the clan. He began to move slowly forward. The cat seemed to just be wandering around. _Idiot, _Flamepaw thought. He leaped and landed flat on the cat. The cat flipped over and kicked him right in the stomach. Flamepaw groaned in pain. The shadowy figure then got into a defensive stance. Flamepaw began to attack from the side, but this cat was skillfully dodging every move. Flamepaw charged at this cat, but it countered him and he fell to the ground. This cat was definitely skilled in battling.

Flamepaw growled," Who are you?"

The cat did not respond. It simply lunged at Flamepaw, bowling him over. It went for a second hit, but Flamepaw was ready. He gasped on the cat's left leg and flipped it onto it's back. He had the cat pinned down.

"Answer my question before I let you go," Flamepaw said.  
The shadowy figure disappeared. This confused Flamepaw. He looked around for the figure, and was then knocked unconscious. The shadowy figure began to run back to it's clan.

The next day, every Lightclan cat stood around Flamepaw. Flamepaw grew conscious again, and was confused to see everybody standing around him.

"Flamepaw, what happened?" Blazespark, his mentor, asked him.

"I have no idea," Flamepaw responded.

Blazespark looked around. The clan began to talk to each other about what might've happened. Flamepaw saw some fur left behind. It was gray.


	4. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Scalepaw**

Scalepaw had encountered a cat yesterday. He bragged to the other apprentices about how he annihilated the cat he was fighting, and knocked him unconscious. The apprentices were impressed at this, but some didn't believe him.

"So, that's one we know about. We need to find all of Earthclan and Lightclan apprentices if we're going to be able to win this battle," Scalepaw said.

The apprentices nodded their heads. Scalepaw was considered the leader, because he had the deputy as his mentor which was 'a great opportunity'. He didn't need his help. He was already being trained in his dreams, a special place called Destined Plateau. It was where the Dark Forest originally was, before they were destroyed by the mortal cats. There he would receive training from those who survived. Brokentail, Thistleclaw, and Snowtuft. There were others, but they were weak so he didn't pay much attention to them.

"So, what do we do next?" Rainpaw asked.

Scalepaw glared at him,"I will address you with the rules when I do. Anyway, we need to go to Earthclan. Rainpaw and Snakepaw, you will scout the border. Balancepaw, you will tell us when the apprentices go out hunting or something to that effect. Tornadopaw, you're coming with me."

Rainpaw rolled his eyes,"So you were going to say it right after I asked you?"

Scalepaw ignored him," We move out tomorrow at dusk. Don't be late!"

* * *

Flamepaw was lying in his nest completely embarrassed. A cat was able to knock him out, and the whole clan saw him lying there. Lightningpaw was trying to cheer him up.

"Well, if you couldn't see it then how were you supposed to fight it?" he'd always ask.

Flamepaw just groaned. Cloudpaw wouldn't leave him alone at this point. Everytime he felt like he had forgot, Cloudpaw would bring it up again.

"It's not your fault. This cat had to have some kind of skill. None of us could've taken it," Lightningpaw pointed out.

Flamepaw's eyes widened. He had remembered something. The fur.

"The fur. The fur was gray," He whispered.

"Wh-what?"Lightningpaw responded.

"The fur was gray...the cat fought me in the dark. I think I know who did this," Flamepaw announced.

"Let me guess. Cloudpaw disguised as a cat in gray fur?"Lightningpaw jeered.

"Nope. A cat from Timeclan. _Scalepaw_. Timeclan is the only clan that fights better in the dark than at day. And Scalepaw has gray fur," Flamepaw said which quickly turned into a growl.

"Hold on. We don't know for sure it was him. You need to-," Lightningpaw was cut off.

"The gathering was today? I'll have a talk with Scaly."

Lightningpaw glared at him. Flamepaw gave him a confused look,"What?"

"You're gonna do something stupid at the gathering. This will only lower our reputation which we will need for the Great Battle. Then you can bash Scalepaw."

Flamepaw just snorted.

"Uh-oh," Lightningpaw began," Here comes Cloudpaw."

"How freaking wonderful!" Flamepaw cheered sarcastically.

Cloudpaw looked at Flamepaw with a straight face,"Do you by any chance have any _clues _of who this cat was? I was thinking a cat from Timeclan or Earthclan since they hunt at night. But Earthclan is our ally now, so probably Timeclan. Who was it though?"

"So, you won't make fun of me?" Flamepaw asked.

"Oh yeah! I completely forgot how lame you were getting knocked out like that. What, did you just stand there and let him uppercut you twenty times?" Cloudpaw laughed.

Flamepaw groaned. '_Life sucks. Cloudpaw sucks. Timeclan sucks_.'

"Scalepaw sucks," he let his last thought get out his mouth.

"Scalepaw? The apprentice of the deputy of Timeclan? He of all cats knocked you unconscious?" Cloudpaw laughed even more," Ok, whatever. We're still friends, but what we have to do is teach Scalepaw a lesson."

"You see! I told you lets talk to Scaly, but you said no. Now it's two against one. Majority rules!" Flamepaw shouted.

"Quiet down before the entire clan knows," Lightningpaw said.

"Before the entire clan knows what?" a voice said from behind them.

It was Solarpaw. Flamepaw groaned again. They told Solarpaw everything, and even he couldn't help laughing.

'Look, I'm sorry for laughing, but how in the name of Starclan does a cat land a dozen smashes to the head without you being able to dodge or fight back?" Solarpaw chuckled.

"You want me to show you how?" Flamepaw growled flexing his claws.

"Nope."

"Well where is Snowpaw? Everybody else is here," Lightningpaw asked.

"I'll go get her," Cloudpaw offered.

She padded towards the fresh-kill pile, where Snowpaw was.

"So, what are you gonna do at the gathering? Rip Scalepaw to shreds?" Solarpaw asked.

Flamepaw growled,"I'll try not to."

"Oh! Scary!" Solarpaw jeered.

Flamepaw instantly pinned him down. Solarpaw flailed helplessly.

"You mouse-brain. Are you stupid? You joke around with the best fighter in the clan and this is what-," Flamepaw was cut off.

"Get off him Flamepaw!" a voice shouted.

Flamepaw moved his pupils in the direction of the voice. It was Snowpaw. He instantly got off of Solarpaw. The doctor in-training smirked.

"By the way, you are not nearly the best fighter in the clan," Solarpaw said.

"Solarpaw," Snowpaw said in a serious tone.

Cloudpaw came back as well,"Well, we're all here now. Right now our main target is Timeclan, because of how Scalepaw was able to out-smart Flamepaw. He was also able to land many hits to the head and finish him with a smash that knocked Flamepaw unconscious."

Snowpaw giggled. Flamepaw buried his face in his paws.

"It was in the dark. He couldn't see-," Lightningpaw was interrupted.

"Well, we need to plan an attack on Timeclan. Our main target will be Scalepaw. Flamepaw and Lightningpaw will go for him. We will scout out the others. Solarpaw, you will assist us with energy herbs and treat wounds," Cloudpaw explained.

"Who made you leader?" Lightningpaw asked.

Cloudpaw ignored him and continued.

"Alright, we meet up tomorrow at dusk. At that pine-tree over there. If you fail to sneak out of camp, you fail to help the clan. Anyway, see you all tomorrow," Cloudpaw finished.

The apprentices then walked off in their own directions, except for Lightningpaw and Flamepaw.

"We should probably get some rest. The gathering is tonight," Lightningpaw said.

Flamepaw nodded and they both walked back to the apprentices' den.

It was time. The Lightclan cats were going to The Gathering. Flamepaw was walking beside his brother and Cloudpaw.

"Remember, don't touch Scalepaw. Don't even look at him," Lightningpaw cautioned.

Flamepaw ignored him. He wasn't going to attack the grey-tom in front of the entire gathering. But, tomorrow it was on.

"Meh, just let the gathering flow. If something comes up, then roll with it," Cloudpaw advised,"There might be a little bit of conflict, so then you can get involved."

"Or, he could stay back and we could make peace. This is a gathering," Lightningpaw argued.

"I can't control what a cat does. This maybe a gathering, but things will go how they go," Cloudpaw explained.

Lightclan arrived at The Gathering early. Later, Shadeclan had arrived. Lightclan's main and Timeclan soon followed behind, those two being enemies as well.

"Alright, Lightclan will start first. We are doing well. Our warriors are healthy and there is lots of prey," Lionstar announced.

Earthclan was the only clan that cheered. Duskstar spoke next,"We are doing well. However, we have smelt scents of Lightclan on our territory once again."

Lionstar glared at him," What do you mean _once again_."

"Our patrols found traces of them a moon ago, and now this. If we see it again we will obliterate your clan," Duskstar threatened.

Lionstar and Mountainstar, the leader of Earthclan, had both only chuckled.

"No! That's not fair! This is just another way for Shadeclan do fight us," Lightningpaw whispered to Flamepaw.

Flamepaw unsheathed his claws," If they want to die that's fine by me."

"So, how about Scalepaw?"Cloudpaw suggested.

Lightningpaw looked at her in a sad and surprised tone,"Why? Why do you bring this up?"

While he was speaking, Flamepaw was looking around for the grey-tom. He eventually spotted him.

"Ah, Flamepaw. Calm," Lightningpaw gestured with his paws.

"I will be calm once I see Scalepaw unconscious. Thank you very much," Flamepaw replied.

Before Lightningpaw could stop him, Flamepaw padded towards the grey-tom. Cloudpaw followed along with the other two apprentices.

"Hello my fellow Timeclans!" Solarpaw greeted.

The apprentices looked towards each other. Scalepaw seemed to be the 'leader'.

"Hey!" Tornadopaw greeted.

"Hello. Oh my, you're Flamepaw! I knocked you out yesterday, but for a cat who can't see in the night, you put up quite a fight. I'm Scalepaw," Scalepaw greeted.

Flamepaw's eyes widened. This was impossible? The other day you give a cat a concussion, the next day you're treating them like royalty.

"Flamepaw," he replied.

"Aha...I know. I said your name, remember?" Scalepaw pointed out.

Solarpaw chuckled,"He must still be unconscious!"

Scalepaw glared at him," Shut up, now."

Flamepaw was beaming on the inside, but he didn't show it. Scalepaw was cool, and he could fight really well.

"But, I challenge you. I challenge you to a duel tomorrow at dusk. Not just you, but all the apprentices. At the coast near the lake. Hope you accept," Scalepaw requested.

"Of course," Flamepaw responded.

"W-what?" Solarpaw whined.

"Alright, see you later!" Scalepaw said.


	5. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Scalepaw**

_Idiot! He actually fell for it! _Scalepaw thought.

He turned around to look at his crew,"So, Flamepaw accepted the duel. We are getting closer and closer to winning this war."

"How?" Rainpaw asked," The duel makes us vulnerable too, no?"

"That's the thing, they think it's just a duel. We're gonna have to go all out. Injure them," Scalepaw replied.

The apprentices nodded and followed Scalepaw back to the clan.

* * *

"I am proud to announce two new apprentices! Honeykit and Cavekit, would you please come stand beside me on the highledge please?" Lionstar asked.

The entire clan cheered as the kits were getting their apprentice names. Honeykit was renamed Honeypaw, and Cavekit was renamed Cavepaw. Honeypaw was apprenticed to Crowflame, and Cavepaw to Tigerblitz. Flamepaw was delighted, because now, they would have a surprise for Timeclan.

Eventually, the two new apprentices came to the apprentice den for the first time. Flamepaw grinned.

"So, seems to me like you too will be getting busy very soon," Flamepaw sneered.

Cavepaw replied,"Haha, you're right. But, what do you mean?"

"You see, _Timeclan_ has challenged us to a duel. It will be you first battle, and you guys know how to fight. Correct?" Flamepaw knew the answer to this, but he also knew what they were gonna say. Sure enough, he was right.

"Umm, of course!" Honeypaw replied.

"We'll teach you a couple skills," Flamepaw offered.

"Flamepaw, are you sure about this? They should be with their mentors," Lightningpaw pointed out.

"Right, go meet you're mentors first, then you can come back."


	6. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Cavepaw**

This was awesome. Finally an apprentice. Finally a _real_ part of the clan. Finally a fighter. Finally a hunter. Finally Cave_paw_. He was delighted. His eyes were filled with joy and boastfulness after the ceremony. And the best part was that his first fight was coming up very soon.

Yesterday, after meeting his mentor, Flamepaw had taught Cavepaw some battle moves. Now he was ready for today. The day they would fight Scalepaw and his crew. It was only about five hours till they met up at the pine trees. To Cavepaw it seemed like hours. He decided to get something from the fresh-kill pile to fill him up. As he was padding towards the pile, he saw Flamepaw, Lightningpaw, Cloudpaw, and Snowpaw speaking to each other. Cavepaw bounded over to them.

"...so I take assault, you take ambush, and you will be backup," Flamepaw had finished.

Cavepaw's eyes gleamed with excitement,"What will I take?"

Flamepaw turned around quickly," Oh. Hello Cavepaw, we forgot to mention you. You can take back-up, with Lightningpaw. Honeypaw will take back-up as well," Flamepaw responded.

"Awesome, so what do I do?" Cavepaw asked.

Flamepaw looked at Cloudpaw with a questioned expression on his face. He turned back to Cavepaw," Well you umm... help out if Cloudpaw or I call for help. Otherwise, you will be fighting the other apprentices. But umm...be careful. They are full grown so...they might be stronger. Got it?"

"Yeah!" and with that Cavepaw bounded off.

Now it was time. Everybody else in the camp was asleep, except for the apprentices. Flamepaw took the lead as they padded towards the pine trees. Eventually, they had arrived there. It was fairly quiet.

"Perfect, ok. Snowpaw and Solarpaw , ambush. Lightningpaw, Cavepaw, and Honeypaw, go to backup. Cloudpaw, follow me," Flamepaw ordered.

Cavepaw followed Lightningpaw to behind a bush. In front of them were Flamepaw and Cloudpaw standing back to back. Up on one of the trees he could spot Snowpaw and Solarpaw carrying herbs. _This is going to be epic_, Cavepaw thought.

"Show yourselves!" Flamepaw growled.

Cloudpaw looked up. She saw ten glints of blue beaming at her.

"Flamepaw, over there-," it was too late.

"Now!" a voice had said.

Five cats shot out of the darkness. Flamepaw quickly flipped one over and slashed at another. Cloudpaw pinned one down and kicked another with her hind legs. Four of five cats lay still on the ground.

"How disappointing," a voice had called.

Cavepaw looked at the cat. He was a grey tom with broad shoulders and sharp ice-blue eyes.

"Scalepaw," Flamepaw growled.

"Far too easy for me. Is that all ya got Scaly?" Cloudpaw taunted.

"Not even close," Scalepaw said," Seems you were easy to fool."

Four cats jumped onto Flamepaw. Cavepaw stared in disbelief, _Holograms? Frauds? What?_ Cloudpaw looked at Flamepaw, and Scalepaw leaped onto her.

"Don't worry about him now," Scalepaw sneered.

Snowpaw leaped from the tree and landed on two of the Timeclan apprentices hard. She quickly swept one off of their feet and grabbed the other one by the scruff. Flamepaw got up.

"Back-up!" he called.

Lightningpaw, Cavepaw, and Honeypaw quickly leaped out of the bushes. Lightningpaw lured two apprentices after him. He was a fast runner, so the plan was to tire them out. Honeypaw helped Snowpaw fight off one of the other apprentices. Cavepaw looked around. He saw Cloudpaw was pinned down by Scalepaw. Cavepaw ran to go help her.

He yowled as he leaped onto the Timeclan apprentice. Cavepaw then slashed at his nose and quickly jumped off. Scalepaw looked at Cavepaw and smiled.

"You've got to be kidding me. You brought six and half an apprentice to this fight?" he chuckled.

Cavepaw got even more angry. He rolled underneath Scalepaw and battered at his belly. Next, he swept him off one of his paws and quickly lifted him up on his back. He rolled him over and quickly went back into a crouch. Scalepaw got up slowly.

"You've some skills-," Scalepaw was interrupted when Cavepaw quickly kicked him in the nose. A blue aura was shining around Cavepaw.

"No, this is impossible. You couldn't have receive your trait already. You're too young!" Scalepaw stuttered.

Above Cavepaw was a ring of sharp stones. He yowled loudly as he hurled them at Scalepaw. Scalepaw was being cut everywhere. He had a cut on his ears, muzzle, and most of his pelt was gone. Blood was flowing down his face. The grey-tom lay still on the ground. Cavepaw was panting after using his trait.

Cloudpaw stared at him in disbelief,"One does not receive their trait until they have gone to the Moon stone and spoke to Starclan. How did you receive yours?"

Cavepaw shrugged.

Rainpaw shrieked. He ran to pick up Scalepaw, but Cloudpaw quickly pounced on him.  
"Sorry Rainpaw," Cloudpaw said.

She grabbed the doc-in-training and knocked him out cold. The other three apprentices stared at Scalepaw and Rainpaw in disbelief.

"Retreat!" one called.

Flamepaw was walking towards Scalepaw. He saw the grey-tom, barely conscious, looking at him. Flamepaw reared his paw back and slammed Scalepaw in the face. The grey tom was knocked out.

"How do you like it?" Flamepaw sneered.

"Alright, that's enough guys, Lightningpaw had commanded, " They know they've lost. Let them go."

Cavepaw admired Lightningpaw's humility, especially after being a star in the battle. He was nice, but Clan was always priority. _A perfect warrior, _Cavepaw thought,_I'm gonna be just like him._

"Great job everybody. Now, let's go back to the Clan and tell them about this stunning victory?" Flamepaw had suggested.

* * *

"How could you be so stupid! Why would you _ever_ go out fighting Timeclan like that? Don't you know how much trouble you are in!" Blazespark lectured.

Flamepaw hung his head.

"Who won?" Blazespark asked.

A smile was quickly formed on Flamepaw's face,"We did of course. I used that move you taught me three days ago."

Blazespark grinned," Awesome. Now you get to do even more fighting, cause we're training for the Great Alliance wars."

He beckoned Flamepaw with his tail. Flamepaw had followed him, and was lead to the border between Earthclan and Lightclan. He saw two Earthclan apprentices coming with their mentors. Flamepaw had looked behind him. He saw Lightningpaw and Shadowlight padding towards the border, Darkflame and Cloudpaw close behind. Next he saw Cavepaw, Snowpaw, and Honeypaw all coming with Tigerblitz. All of Lightclan's and Earthclan's apprentices were eventually here. And Earthclan warrior came to greet Blazespark.

"Hiya Blaze. It's been a while, how are you?" the warrior asked.

"I am fine Tidalflame," Blazespark responded," Alright guys. What we will be doing today is training for the Great War. We will practice different moves, build hideouts, and practice our defence. Understand?"

"Yeah!" all the apprentice screamed at once.

"Alright, let's begin."


	7. Author's Note

Sorry I couldn't work on the book as often as I had planned, but is being annoying! I noticed that half of the sentences didn't even make sense, and I am trying to edit that, so please hold until then! Thanks!

_Lightningfoot~_


	8. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Rootpaw/Cavepaw**

"Ok, first we will begin with using our defense. You will each perform a counter swipe on _me_. Claws sheathed please," Blazespark demanded.

The apprentices nodded. Rootpaw was worried. _I can't fail this_, he thought. Although, it seemed so far that everyone had failed. Except for Flamepaw and Magmapaw that is. He saw Silverpaw fumble his swipe and flip completely backwards landing head first. Rootpaw didn't even know how that was possible.

He was next. Blazespark was charging at him with full speed. _Aim for the right paw_, he had thought. Rootpaw had swiped under Blazespark's right paw sending the Lightclan deputy flying past him. Rootpaw had turned around. Blazespark had been caught in some brambles.

"Help!" he cried.

Rootpaw couldn't help but giggle. Sure, that wasn't how the attack was done, but hey. It had worked hadn't it? He ran over to haul Blazespark out of the brambles. He had them all over his pelt.

"Alright, that was interesting," Blazespark said with an angry tone.

"S-sorry," Rootpaw chuckled.

The last apprentice to perform the move, Cavepaw, had done it flawlessly. And by the look of it he was made and apprentice just two days ago!

"Alright, some of you have yet to learn a counter swipe. Now, we will work on battling. I will tell you your teams," Blazespark said.

"Ok, Flamepaw, Cloudpaw, Silverpaw, Honeypaw, Crystalpaw, and Skypaw over there. And over here will be Magmapaw, Cavepaw, Rootpaw, Peakpaw, Lightningpaw, and Snowpaw. Flamepaw's team will be playing defense. Begin!"

Flamepaw snarled," What an overpowered team."

Magmapaw spoke,"Ok, I will go around that birch tree with Rootpaw and Lightningpaw. You three will break through other defenses. Snowpaw will lead you."

Rootpaw shuddered. This would be his first real battle. _Doesn't matter, focus_, he thought. He had followed Magmapaw around the tree. He had spotted Skypaw guarding the entrance to the defense zone.

"Lightningpaw, go!" Magmapaw had commanded.

The grey-tom sprinted and pounced on Skypaw in what seemed like half a second.

"Alright Rootpaw, go!" Magmapaw whisper-shouted.

Rootpaw ran passed Skypaw not knowing what he should do. He had spotted Cloudpaw and Honeypaw. _I can't take em' both!_ he thought. And idea popped in his head. He had decided to sneak around Honeypaw and go for Cloudpaw. He was moving stealthily around the golden she-cat. He saw Cloudpaw guarding the "objective". He was getting ready to pounce, but something heavy slammed down on him. _Flamepaw,_ he immediately thought. He knew what to do. Quickly, he rolled underneath Flamepaw and began to sprint passed Cloudpaw.

"Starclan no!" Flamepaw bellowed.

Rootpaw ran passed to objective point,"We won!"

Magmapaw yowled in triumph. Cloudpaw just shrugged. Flamepaw was _boiling_ with anger. Everybody on the winning side seemed happy, and everyone on the losing side was 'ok'. Blazespark congratulated the six winners.

* * *

"Hmm, looks like we have time for a second round," Tidalflame announced," New teams!"

The offensive team was Cavepaw, Flamepaw, Rootpaw, Skypaw, Silverpaw, and Cloudpaw. The defending team was Magmapaw, Honeypaw, Lightningpaw, Crystalpaw, Nutpaw, and Peakpaw.

Flamepaw spoke," Ok guys. _Listen to me_. Cloudpaw, Rootpaw, and Silverpaw _back-up_. I will go with Cavepaw and Skypaw to break their defenses. Alright? Let's go."

Cavepaw bounded behind the ginger-furred tom and the Earthclan apprentice.

"Stop," Flamepaw commanded.

The two apprentices halted to a stop. Cavepaw could hear what seemed like two apprentices speaking.

"This way," Flamepaw directed.

_What?_ Cavepaw thought. Going that way would mean the enemy would see them easily. Their enemies weren't that stupid.

Cavepaw directly darted towards the objective. He heard Flamepaw curse loudly behind him, but this was for the best. If Flamepaw was smart enough, he could directly pass by while Cavepaw distracted them. But, Flamepaw logic and Cavepaw logic don't mix.

Cavepaw was only a few tail-lengths away from the objective zone. He saw Peakpaw shriek and call out to somebody. _Weakling_, Cavepaw thought. By then, Cavepaw had already infiltrated. They had won.

"And the winners offense!" Blazespark announced.

Cavepaw nodded,"That was a bit easy if you ask me."

Flamepaw padded towards Cavepaw," Wow. You're idea did work after-" he was cut off.

"Face it, Flame. You knew my idea was gonna work, you just didn't want me to do it because you wanted to be more superior than me. But look now. My idea worked. I hope you took back everything you said about me when I ran off."

Before Flamepaw could respond, Cavepaw bounded away to where everybody cheered his name.

* * *

Flamepaw felt something burning inside of him. Rage? Almost certain to be. He did _nothing_. He helped _nobody._ This was a waste of his time. Both times he had been a useless team member in the little "battle".

"Hey, do you guys smell that?" Magmapaw asked.

Flamepaw and everybody had begun to smell that weird scent.

"Smells familiar…smells like Shadeclan," Blazespark responded.

_Shadeclan?_ Flamepaw had thought. He saw Blazespark look around carefully this time. Cloudpaw and others were preparing for an attack.

Suddenly, a sound was heard. It sounded like a squeal. Everybody had turned towards the noise. Behind them, shady warriors had begun to sneak up. Flamepaw had turned around to see them, "Cats! Behind you guys!"

Blazespark quickly turned to meet their gazes. All of the apprentices had turned to see the cats.

A cat had begun to speak, "Haha, only two deputies and some apprentices. We can take them easy."

"Shadeclan, attack," the cat in front commanded calmly.

All the hostile cats sprung directly into the Lightclan and Earthclan cats. Flamepaw had seen Cloudpaw fighting off two large toms. He had also seen Lightningpaw and Cavepaw gang up on one warrior. _Why am I just sitting here?_ Flame asked himself.

Without notice, Flamepaw felt a heavy weight slam down on him. He had quickly turned up and threw that cat off of him. Flamepaw had looked the cat who had attacked him directly in the eyes. He was a tom with ice-blue eyes, and a pelt that looked dark-blue. He was broad-shouldered, a pretty powerful looking cat.

"Who are you?" Flamepaw asked.

"Who are you? Ha," the cat had mocked.

Flamepaw had broken eye contact with the cat and had immediately lunged at him knocking him down. The cat did not seem to be stunned, but instead pushed Flamepaw off with what seemed like no effort. Flamepaw had gotten up to his paws, and had lunged once again this time aiming for the cats' legs. With that strategy, Flamepaw had easily swept the cat, pinning him down.

"What, who are you? For real this time," the dark-blue tom had asked.

Flamepaw had loosened his grip on the tom a bit.

"I'm Flamepaw, and who would you be?"

The tom had wriggled out from underneath Flamepaw's paw and stood up,"They call me Azurepaw. That was my given name."

_Huh, no wonder his pelt looks so blue_, Flamepaw had thought.

"I don't really know how this battle had started anyway, I thought we had just been on a patrol. Seems like we weren't," Azurepaw had stated.

Flamepaw snorted,"No kidding."

"Alright! You've all been defeated! You cannot go on! Please take this opportunity to leave Shadeclan!" Tidalflame had announced.

"Ugh, whatever," a cat had muttered,"Shadeclan! Retreat!"

Azurepaw had begun to bound towards his clan. Flamepaw stared at the dark-blue apprentice again. _He doesn't seem like any ordinary cat. He reminds me of somebody.._.


	9. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Scalepaw**

"Well, seems like Shadeclan had decided to engage in yet another battle only to receive yet another loss. Idiots," Tornadopaw had smirked.

The Timeclan apprentices all shared a laugh,"See, this is exactly what we're trying not to do. At this point, we've found out all of the Lightclan apprentices, all that are left are the Earthclan ones. Alright guys, we sneak out towards the Earthclan border at dusk! Don't be late!" Scalepaw had announced.

"What? Are you kidding? We're just gonna sneak onto their border?" Rainpaw asked.

Scalepaw had simply turned away from him, walking towards the fresh-kill pile. _I'm really getting sick of that guy_, Scalepaw thought.

* * *

"Hey guys! Wake up! It's time!" Scalepaw had whispered.

Everybody had woken up groggily, "Ugh, seriously? Whatever," Balancepaw muttered.

The Timeclan apprentices had begun to walk towards Earthclan's camp. They had almost made it to the border.

"Alright guys, we've made it here. Now we have to be even more careful, or we could be caught," Scalepaw warned.

The apprentices nodded and slowly crept towards the border. Suddenly, Rainpaw had accidently stepped on a twig.

"Are you kidding?" Scalepaw roared.

A warrior was heard from just over the Earthclan border. He seemed to be alerting others of the sound that was heard. The Timeclan apprentices began to another side of the border.

Everybody glared at Scalepaw, "Shhh!"

Scalepaw hung his head, "Woops."

Balancepaw whispered, "Whatever, we weren't caught. Let's keep moving."

As the apprentices continued to find an entrance into Earthclan, a cat had spotted them.

"Hello over there, what are you up to?" the cat had said.

Scalepaw and the others looked around, until Rainpaw finally spotted the cat in the trees.

"Over there! Over there!" Rainpaw quietly cried.

Scalepaw looked up at the cat, only to meet his glare.

Scalepaw had glared back, "It's you!"


	10. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Flamepaw**

"Ugh, that was horrible," Flamepaw sighed.

Lightningpaw was standing beside Flamepaw, who lay belly flat on the ground, "Oh come on, you didn't even do that bad."

Flamepaw just sighed. Lightningpaw had sighed too.

Cloudpaw had walked up beside Lightningpaw and Flamepaw, "He's just tired, let's leave him be."

Lightningpaw nodded and strolled off with Cloudpaw. Flamepaw lay in his den thinking about the battle and had eventually fallen asleep.

Flamepaw had woken up in a marshy land. He had abruptly jumped to his feet, "Disgusting! What is this?"

Suddenly, a cat surrounded in a blue aura had padded towards him, "Welcome, Flamepaw.

Flamepaw was stunned. This looked like a cat from Starclan, would that mean that this marsh was Starclan?

"Uh, hi. Is this Starclan?"

The cat had only chuckled, "Not at all dear. Follow me."

Flamepaw followed the she-cat to a cave. It looked rather dark inside, but if it was a Starclan cat who guided him there, Flamepaw was ready for anything.

"So, who are you exactly? Like, which cat are you?" Flamepaw asked.

"I am Yellowfang, the Thunderclan Medicine cat," the cat had responded.

"Thunderclan?"

"Thunderclan is ancient Lightclan. Let me tell you the story. Long ago, there were four clans. Thunderclan, Shadowclan, Windclan, and Riverclan. Each clan had their own skills and territory. However, after the Dark Forest had attacked, most of the cats in the four clans had died. The remaining cats joined as one nation, eventually splitting back into four groups over time. With Starclan's blessing, they became Lightclan, Shadeclan, Earthclan, and Timeclan. The Dark Forest had become the Destined Plateau, but there are no cats there. None that we know of at least."

"Wow," Flamepaw had responded, "That's a long history."

Yellowfang chuckled, and began to pad closer to the mouth of the cave, "Alright Flamepaw, your journey begins here. Let me tell you this, listen to your heart. Don't do what you think would be the safest thing to do, because sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith."

Before Flamepaw could say anything back, Yellowfang had vanished.

"Ugh, so what now?" Flamepaw muttered to himself.

Suddenly, Flamepaw had heard a shriek from inside the cave. _What was that?_ he thought to himself. He decided to slowly enter the cave.

"Get away you brute!" he heard the cat yowl.

The same shriek was heard again. Flamepaw had thought that maybe it hadn't been a cat shrieking, but maybe even...a dog. That would've been incredible for a cat to defeat a dog.

As Flamepaw went deeper into the cave, it began to light up. He saw a cat with a very dark pelt pad around the dead body of a dog,"And nowadays the Clan Cats think dogs are scary. Hmph."

"B-but dogs are scary," Flamepaw murmured.

The cat abruptly turned her head towards Flamepaw, "And who would you be? Who sent you here?"

"I-I'm Flamepaw."

The she-cat padded around Flamepaw with suspicion, "And what exactly would you be doing here? It's dangerous you know."

"Yeah, but I heard a shriek and I wanted to help."

The she-cat let out a quiet purr, "I'll admit, that's what a noble warrior would do. They call me Shadow."

Flamepaw's eyes widened, "So like...Shadowstar? Original leader of Shadowclan?"

Shadow nodded, "Or Shadeclan. Whatever you wanna call it now. My Clan has been lost anyway. All of them have been..."

"What? Is it simply because of the names?" Flamepaw asked.

Shadow glared at Flamepaw with enough force to make him back away, "Simply a name? Those names were given by Starclan themselves, and now you treat them as if they can be changed whenever you feel like it? No! That's not how it should've been, not at all."

Flamepaw stood there, stunned at how loud Shadow's voice was, "S-sorry Shadow. I didn't know..."

Shadow stopped glaring at Flamepaw, "Don't even worry. It's not your fault, however I believe you can make things the way they should be..."

"Wait! Make what how it should be! Shadow!"

Everything in Flamepaw's sight had went black.


	11. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Scalepaw**

"It's you!" Scalepaw growled.

"Who else? You invaded my territory, what'd you expect?" the cat had responded.

Scalepaw had unsheathed his claws and began to climb up the tree, "This time, you're the one who's gonna get hurt _Magmapaw_."

Before Scalepaw could reach Magmapaw, the ginger-tom jumped of the tree, landing softly on the ground. Scalepaw had been stunned by this, and had ended up falling roughly.

"Hey guys, help me out here!" Magmapaw called.

Scalepaw's head ached more than ever. He had seen two other apprentices come to assist Magmapaw.

"Come...on guys. Attack them," Scalepaw groaned.

He had seen Balancepaw turn back towards Timeclan's camp. The others didn't hesitate to follow him.

"Well then, looks like Scalepaw's alone. What should we do with him?" asked a silvery-white she-cat.

"Maybe we should take him to Tidalflame, or even Mountainstar," Magmapaw responded, "But Brindlepaw, fix him up first."

Scalepaw was stunned. Why would they help him, even after he had tried to invade their camp?

"W-why do you want to help me," Scalepaw croaked.

Before he could receive an answer, Scalepaw blacked out.

* * *

"Hello, Scalepaw," a voice had said.

Scalepaw had woken up, his eyes growing incredibly large. It was Mountainstar, and not only him. Tidalflame, Magmapaw, and Goldenlight were there too.

"Um, well you see..." Scalepaw couldn't find the words to make what he did seem non-aggressive.

"I guess he wanted to test out his skills on a couple of tired apprentices," Magmapaw smirked, "I knew I had smelled something, so I waited up in the tree for them."

Mountainstar nodded, then looked back at Scalepaw, "I think Plasmastar would love to hear about this, but we are their enemies now. Until Timeclan comes for you, you will remain in Earthclan. Understood?"

Scalepaw nodded even though he did not want to sleep next to an Earthclan cat. At least they weren't going to kill him or anything.

"Magmapaw, go make Scalepaw a nest," Tidalflame commanded.

Magmapaw nodded, then beckoned Scalepaw towards the apprentice den using his tail. Scalepaw rolled his eyes, then got up to his paws.

"Ugh, why couldn't they just send me back," Scalepaw muttered.

"Shut up, it was your choice to invade Earthclan. Now you will be punished, however I also get punished for your stupid actions. Do you think I want to sleep next to a mangy, filthy, mean, stupid, disgusting, gross, weak, overweight, jerk? If so, think again," Magmapaw glared at Scalepaw.

"Uh," Scalepaw now knew that Magmapaw wasn't somebody you should mess around with. He had the glare of fifty warriors.

"Follow me. And don't do anything stupid," Magmapaw growled.


End file.
